Gardening on a cold day

Gardening on a cold day, a photo by Jillian DIxon on Flickr.

Raking up leaves. . cutting back dead ferns, clearing up moss and weeding.

Drinks

Drinks, a photo by Jillian DIxon on Flickr.

Organic aniseed, fennel and cardamon tea, lime and ginger and a hot vitamin c.

From the archives

We went down to the village hall last night for a special showing of some old BBC films about the local area. It was £3 a ticket. . and the hall was packed with people from the village. There was an exhibition of old photos at the back. . and a BBC producer who lives in the area presented the films.
The first film showed men working in the tin plate mine here in the village circa 1960. . just before the mine was closed. There was a lovely 30 min film presented and made by Dennis Potter who was born in the Forest of Dean and died in Ross on Wye. The final film was "The Closing of The Wye Valley Lines" and can be seen below. About a minute from the end of this lovely film you can see the train passing over the river here in the village. This drew a lovely communal cheer from everyone in the hall last night.

Railway Roundabout 1959 'The Closing Of The Wye Valley Lines'

"There are many ways to die. . . but to be dead . . one either is or isnt.
The same cannot be said of aliveness, of which there are countless degrees. One can be alive but half asleep or half noticing as the years fly, no matter how fully oxygenated the blood and brain or how steadily the heart beats. Fortunately this is a reverible condition. One can learn to be alert to the extraordinary and press pause. . to memorize moments of the everyday"

"Wind shakes up tree shadows to dance on rivers"

"Wind shakes up tree shadows to dance on rivers", a photo by Jillian DIxon on Flickr.

The last temptation of Andrea Pirlo - Professor Champions League - FourFourTwo

The last temptation of Andrea Pirlo - Professor Champions League - FourFourTwo

Amazing character charm necklace by Servane Gaxotte

Amazing character charm necklace by Servane Gaxotte, a photo by Jillian DIxon on Flickr.

Paul and Emma get married in Buxton

Paul and Emma get married in Buxton, a photo by Jillian DIxon on Flickr.

It was a very special weekend in Buxton as Paul and Emma got married at the Old Hall Hotel.
Emma looked beautiful and Paul looked very smart and very relaxed on the day.
Mum and I went to the hairdressers on the morning of the wedding, Jenny Richard and Laura arrived, and Ros and Roy arrived with the wedding cake. After the ceremony the sun came out and there were photos in the Pavillion Gardens. There was a tasty meal and some very emotional speeches from Paul, Emma and her Dad and Terence the Best Man. We then headed downstairs into the Orchestra Pit where there was music, dancing and later on...chip barm cakes....yum. Paul and his new father in law and Terence went outside to smoke cigars.
It was a lovely family occasion and we were all glad to be there to see Paul and Emma get married.
We send them big congratulations and lots of love at this special time x

Campervan wedding cake by Ros

Campervan wedding cake by Ros, a photo by Jillian DIxon on Flickr.

Another wonderful wedding cake by Ros. . everyone was so impressed especially Paul and Emma.

Blue hills

Blue hills, a photo by Jillian DIxon on Flickr.

"If everything seems under control. . you re just not going fast enough"
Mario Andretti

Goosebumps. . .

Sabotage Times. We cant concentrate so why should you?

I have discovered the above website. . and a piece written last year by Wigan fan Finton, about the 1985 Wigan v Hull Challenge Cup Final. There were many rugby league legends playing that day. . Brett Kenny, Peter Sterling, Shaun Edwards. . .

"Shaun Edwards. . full back. Enigmatic, Handsome, Eloquent. . all words I ve never heard associated with Edwards. The lad could play a bit though and went on to win a couple of medals before retiring to teach southeners how to tackle and take offence at Irish folk songs on the Welsh team bus.

John Ferguson.. . winger. Older than Roger Milla and Kanu combined. Scored 24 tried in 25 appearances, including a length of the field effort in this game just moments after wise old sage Alex Murphy declared on TV that his leg injury was so bad he d have to come off.

Brett Kenny. . stand off. The coolest man in the world whose hands in pocket antics made Bjorn Borg look like John Terry psyching himself up for a World Cup Final. Integral in 3 first half tries and sealed the Lance Todd Trophy with a solo effort that saw him arc through the Hull defence without a single finger being laid on him.

Graeme West. . .second row. Captain. Genial giant who for me was the most important figure in Wigans climb to success. Now drives a taxi round town and will happily turn the meter off if you ve arrived home before he finishes telling you how Alex Murphy lamped Maurice lindsey with a telephone. "

Etch a Sketch

Etch a Sketch, a photo by Jillian DIxon on Flickr.

A clean window

A clean window, a photo by Jillian DIxon on Flickr.

Goodbyes. . .

I handed my notice in at work a month ago. . and on thursday my 6 and a half years as an enabler came to an end. It had been a difficult last week saying goodbye to the people I have been supporting and trying to work through a successful handover process. There is one lady who I have been supporting twice a week for 5 years and it was very difficult saying goodbye to her. I really hope we can keep in touch.
I have struggled with being an enabler for the past 12 months really. . in January I almost handed my notice in but rallied and gave it another try. I have been feeling a bit frazzled, struggling to keep up my enthusiasm for the job and it feels like the right time to make a move.
Working so closely with my participants has been an amazing experience. . it really has affected me deeply. I have been on a rollercoaster since the beginning. . always learning new things, meeting so many new people. . . there are major moments that stand out. . also sad moments when people have died and hundreds of everyday moments shopping or catching the bus.. . going to appointments and chatting about problems.
I will always be grateful to Jill Vernon who gave me a chance at the interview back in 2006 and who helped me through the difficult first few months. When I started,  I thought that part of my job was to cheer people up!!!! I think I had pretty much the wrong idea about disabled and elderly people and their everyday lives. . . I really have learnt a lot and it really has meant a lot to me.

Super blue sky

Super blue sky, a photo by Jillian DIxon on Flickr.

Christopher Cross - Ride Like The Wind

Partridge

Partridge, a photo by Jillian DIxon on Flickr.

There was a rare sighting of a partridge in the garden this morning. . they are smaller than the pheasants and have lovely markings.

BACKWARDS IN HIGH HEELS: That good night

BACKWARDS IN HIGH HEELS: That good night: And so, my Pigeon did slide slowly into that good night. It was very quiet and peaceful and true. The Sister, who came with me, for moral su...

Bike ride

Bike ride, a photo by Jillian DIxon on Flickr.

We went out on a bike ride today. . it was cold, the sun was shining and the colours on the trees looked spectacular.

Big tree

Big tree, a photo by Jillian DIxon on Flickr.

River Wye and colours

River Wye and colours, a photo by Jillian DIxon on Flickr.